How You Will Know if Dems Are in Trouble

By Allysia Finley

Seventeen-term Democratic congressman Nick Rahall should be safe in West Virginia’s 3rd district Democratic stronghold, but Republican former state Supreme Court justice Elliot “Spike” Maynard has kept him on his toes. This is only the second time Rahall has faced a serious challenge since being elected in 1976, and it’s in no small part due to his votes for ObamaCare and the stimulus. But Maynard has some liabilities of his own, namely his ties to Massey Energy company’s CEO Don Blankenship and his favorable rulings for the company. Rahall has made sure that voters don’t forget the disaster that killed 29 workers at the Massey-operated Upper Big Branch mine earlier this year. If Maynard manages to win in West Virginia’s Blue Dog bedrock, Democrats are in for a rough night.